¹⁵ I, Daniel, saw this vision and ·tried to understand what it meant [^Lsought understanding]. I saw someone who looked like a man standing near me. ¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice calling from the Ulai ·Canal [or Gate]: “Gabriel [^Can angel], explain the vision to this man.”

¹⁷ ·Gabriel [^LHe] came to where I was standing. When he came close to me, I was ·very afraid [terrified; or overwhelmed] and ·bowed facedown on the ground [^Lfell on my face]. But ·Gabriel [^Lhe] said to me, “·Human being [^LSon of man], understand that this vision is about the time of the end.”

¹⁸ While ·Gabriel [^Lhe] was speaking, I fell into a ·deep sleep [trance] with my face on the ground. Then he touched me [^Cstrengthening him] and ·lifted me to my feet [^Lmade me stand in my place]. ¹⁹ He said, “Now, I will ·explain [make known; reveal] to you what will happen in the time of anger. Your vision was about the ·set [appointed] time of the end.

²⁰ “You saw a ·male sheep [ram] with two horns, which are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ The male goat is the king of ·Greece [^LJavan], and the big horn between its eyes is the first king [^CAlexander the Great, who defeated Persia around 330 bc]. ²² The four horns that grew in the place of the broken horn are four kingdoms [^CAlexander died in 323 bc and his four most powerful generals carved up his empire between them]. Those four kingdoms will come from ·the nation of the first king [^Lhis nation], but ·they will not be as strong as the first king [^Lnot with his power/strength].

²³ “When the end comes near for those kingdoms, a ·bold and cruel [fierce/stern-faced] king who ·tells lies will come [^Lunderstands riddles/enigmas; ^CAntiochus Epiphanes, who terrorized the Jews in the mid-second century bc]. This will happen when ·many people have turned against God [rebellions/transgressions will reach their height]. ²⁴ ·This king will be very powerful [^LHis power will be strong], but ·his power will not come from himself [^Lnot his own power]. He will cause ·terrible [fearful] destruction and will be successful in everything he does. He will destroy powerful people and even ·God’s holy people [^Lthe people of the holy ones]. ²⁵ This king will succeed by using ·lies and force [^Lthe deceit in his hand/power]. He will ·think that he is very important [^Lbe great in his heart]. He will destroy many people ·without warning [or with ease]; he will ·try to fight [^Lstand against] even the Prince of princes! But ·that cruel king [^Lhe] will be ·destroyed [^Lbroken], and not by human ·power [^Lhand].

²⁶ “The vision that has been shown to you about these evenings and mornings is true. But seal up the vision, because ·those things won’t happen for a long time [^Lit concerns many days from now].”

²⁷ I, Daniel, became very weak and was sick for ·several days after that vision [^Lsome days]. Then I got up and went back to work for the king, but I was very ·upset [dismayed; perplexed] about the vision. I didn’t understand what it meant.